2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This practice-oriented design case describes the development and delivery of an introductory cybersecurity course for non-technical undergraduate students. As cybersecurity risks increasingly affect personal, academic, and professional life, students across disciplines need opportunities to develop foundational cybersecurity awareness without requiring advanced technical preparation. Grounded in Kolb’s experiential learning theory and supported by Bloom’s Taxonomy, the course uses familiar digital behaviors, case studies, guided reflection, and applied assignments to help students connect cybersecurity concepts to everyday decision-making. The paper presents the course rationale, instructional design, sample learning activities, and lessons learned from implementation in a general education context. Preliminary observations from student reflections and classroom engagement suggest that students became more comfortable discussing cybersecurity risks, connecting security concepts to their academic and career interests, and recognizing cybersecurity as a shared responsibility across disciplines. The paper also identifies challenges related to balancing technical depth, supporting students with varied backgrounds, and delivering experiential activities across mixed modalities. The course offers a practical model for institutions seeking to broaden cybersecurity literacy through accessible, interdisciplinary general education coursework.